PH, EU reaffirm commitment to cooperation

THE Philippines and the European Union (EU) reaffirmed their continued commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation on a broad range of issues during a senior officials’ meeting Tuesday.

Undersecretary Enrique Manalo of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific Gunnar Wiegand of the European External Action Service co-chaired the 9th Philippines-European Union Senior Officials´ Meeting held in Manila.

The parties exchanged views on important regional and multilateral issues including terrorism and violent extremism and how to address them.

“The meeting reiterated its strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism and all its forms and emphasized the need for strengthened Philippines-EU cooperation in this area,” the two parties said in a joint statement.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Eduardo Año earlier said that because of the Marawi crisis, the Philippines has become a magnet to terrorists and extremists.

The Philippines also discussed with EU officials the government´s commitment to ensure inclusive economic growth and development, its holistic approach to the anti-illegal drugs campaign, and updates on the situation in Marawi.